


From the Incredible Journal of Mackinna Ray: What Happened in the Hallway

by Maple



Category: Highlander: The Series
Genre: Babysitting, Gen, Quote Challenge Response, bystander fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-22
Updated: 2011-03-22
Packaged: 2017-10-17 04:57:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/173139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maple/pseuds/Maple
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mackinna and Bobbie get locked out while she's babysitting; she has to ask the man in apartment four for some help. He's not exactly what he seems.</p>
            </blockquote>





	From the Incredible Journal of Mackinna Ray: What Happened in the Hallway

**Author's Note:**

> Basically this is Bystander fic, meaning that the Highlander world is seen through the eyes of someone unaware of the secrets of that world.
> 
> Inspired by the quote challenge: "He didn't have any toy dinosaur sized swords." Serenity by Keith R. A. DeCandido

As soon as I heard the quiet snickt-sound of the lock catching I knew I was going to be in deep, deep trouble. Oh, for pity's sake (as my English teacher likes to say over and over again) it was just so _unfair_.

"I got you now!" Bobbie said as he brandished his stupid little toy sword. "Now you're my prisoner!"

"Not now, Bobbie," I said. I desperately turned back to my own apartment door and tried my key again, but it still didn't work, which was because I'd grabbed the wrong key. And now Bobbie had closed the door on his apartment and the doors lock automatically, and good grief, couldn't he have stayed put for one minute while I got my (originally forgotten) homework assignment? Oh my god. I swear--I hate five year olds.

Just to be sure, I tried Bobbie's apartment, but it was locked good and tight, and no amount of hopeful wiggling of the knob helped. Bobbie swished his plastic pirate sword at the potted plant at the end of the hallway and I stared at him, hoping if maybe I stared hard enough he'd vaporize or something.

I took a deep breath. Vaporizing Bobbie wouldn't fix anything. It'd be sure to keep me from getting any other babysitting jobs, too. No, I had to do something, though, because Bobbie's mom wouldn't be back for at least another hour--she always takes off for several hours on Saturdays so she can get errands and stuff done, although I think it's really because she needs to get away from Bobbie. I mean, the kid is a handful. He's adorable and cute, with a manly little grin and dimples, but he can get into trouble faster than you can blink. I wouldn't baby-sit him except I really need the money and being fifteen means I can't work a regular job yet. Anyway, spending an hour in the hallway was not an option. For one, it would be sure to get me yelled at even _more_ whenever Bobbie's mom or my family came home. For the second reason, Bobbie was sure to need to go to the bathroom soon, and the potted plant didn't deserve two different kinds of torture.

So, when I stopped being so mad that I would start screaming, I caught Bobbie's arm and we marched down the hall to Mrs. Getz's apartment. She hardly ever went out since she was elderly. She liked Bobbie a lot, always had cookies available, and her apartment had a bathroom (although it was boring because didn't have cable since she said she liked reading better).

This time, however, the universe seemed out to get me because she wasn't home. I knocked and knocked and rang the bell, and she never came to the door, which meant she was out, or she'd fallen down or something. I counted out the days of the month in my head--I could go and find the super and have him check inside, but he was never  
where he should be and he was kind of creepy anyway, so I tried to stay away from him. I'd rather wait in the hallway for an hour than have to find him to let us in. But I would get him if Mrs. Getz was hurt.

But it was the second Saturday in the month, so that meant that Mrs. Getz wasn't supposed to be home. She was out with her daughter getting her hair done and grocery shopping and whatever else it is that grown-ups do when they go out.

I groaned and leaned against the doorjamb in what I imagined was a tragically beautiful pose. Bobbie started tugging on my arm. "I gotta go," he said.

Am I psychic or what? I think his mom should get him to a doctor, the kid has bladder issues.

I pushed down the rising panic. The super was just downstairs…somewhere in his little lair in the basement. I took a step and saw the last door in the hallway. Apartment number four.

The only problem was that the person who lived there was some guy in his twenties or thirties (or maybe forties? It was hard to tell how hold a grown-up was) and that meant he was a no-no. Single men are the Big Evil. They want nothing better than to rape and murder little kids. Everyone knows that.

"Mackinna!" Bobbie pulled at my arm again, more insistent. I had to do something. And really soon.

I stared down at the door, made the decision, and pulled Bobbie along with me. This guy wasn't a complete unknown. He'd come over to a party my parents had a few months ago and had been really nice. He wasn't creepy in the way the super was. He seemed really normal. Bookish and nerdy, actually, if I had to describe him. He wasn't bad looking--he had dark hair and nice eyes, and his nose was a little too big, but it looked okay on him. Not that I was into him or anything--I' m going to marry Hayden Christensen when I'm older, especially since I'm treasurer of his local fan club, so I have to keep my thoughts centered on him.

Since I was going to be yelled at anyway for getting us locked out in the hallway, it might as well _not_ be for also letting Bobbie pee in the potted plant. I knocked.

For a long moment, I thought he wasn't in either, but then he opened the door, looking sleepy. He stared down at us like we were giant space-bugs from some weird planet and he didn't know what to do about it.

"Yes?" he finally asked.

"We got locked out. Can we use your bathroom?" I indicated Bobbie with my head, who was now jumping up and down and holding himself.

The guy took a moment to process that. Probably he was trying to think how to get rid of us, but then he opened the door all the way and let us in. All the apartments are mirror images of each other, so Bobbie knew right where the bathroom was, and he flew there.

"Locked out?" the guy asked.

"Yes," I said, and then because I really, really didn't want to have to go out in the hallway again and wait for an hour (or more--sometimes Bobbie's mom stretched it out and came back late, which I would too if I had to then face another week of taking care of Bobbie), I also said, "Would you mind if we stayed here? We can watch tv and you won't even know we're here."

"I don't think that'd be a good idea." The guy started to rummage in a drawer in the kitchen. "If you're locked out, I can just--"

Which is when the phone rang.

"Hold on," he said to me and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

I know it is bad manners to listen to others' conversations, but he was right in front of me, and it wasn't as if I could go and do something else--it was his apartment and I didn't have permission--and besides it was a really interesting conversation.

"Joe? Slow down. I can't understand what you're saying." Then he just said "uh,huh" a lot and got more and more upset as Joe told him stuff. He started running his free hand through his hair and grimacing and frowning and shaking his head. Finally Joe must have  
finished because then he got to talk. "Right now is really bad. My neighbor's kids are here, I just need five minutes to get them back--"

Which is when the banging on the door started.

"Never mind," he said. "Sounds like he's already here."

He opened the door and this guy came in and he was totally hot. Of course, he looked like he'd been in a fight, but that was pretty hot too. His hair was all disheveled and loose--jeez, I'm only fifteen, and my hormones were about to _kill_ me--and his face was all chiseled and full of unspeakable sorrows and he looked kind of upset and angry, too. His shirt was little more than rags which he was holding together with one hand, but he looked fine (and I do mean _fine_ ) underneath.

"Adam!" he bellowed. "I need--" Then he saw me. So at least I knew my neighbor's name was Adam, because I had been trying really hard to remember it and felt stupid for forgetting. The hottie stiffened up when he saw me and tried to compose himself. "I…uh…didn't know you had…company?"

"Neighbors. Locked themselves out," Adam said tersely. "I was just about to--" He went back to rummaging in the drawer and I couldn't hear what he said. "And then I can help you."

Which is when Bobbie came out of the bathroom. He set eyes on Mr. Hunk and immediately decided to do away with him. Yelling his stupid battle cry (Avast, ye matie! Avast! Avast! Avast! If you must know) he attacked the guy with his plastic toy sword.

Luckily, he's tiny, so I caught him before he managed to clobber the guy in the shin or something. He's hit me with that crappy sword before and it really stings! Once it left a bruise on my hip. I'd take it away from him, but he cries too much and isn't worth the  
hassle.

Mr. Hunk didn't seem to mind, though. His eyes got all soft and misty and crinkled up at the corners, like he found Bobbie really cute and funny.

"Not one word, MacLeod," Adam said. He held up a finger at the guy, who I now knew was named Macleod--what a cool coincidence! My name was _Mac_ kinna!

It was a sign, that was for sure. I would have edged closer to him, but Bobbie was struggling and I didn't want MacLeod to get kicked in the shin anymore than hit with the sword. So, I tried to be really smooth, because this guy would obviously need that sort of  
thing. "Hi," I said, in my silkiest voice.

"Hello," he said back to me, turning those eyes on me--they were like luscious chocolate, all gooey and melty. And really soulful. My heart felt like it might burst out of my chest.

"Got it," Adam said and pulled some kind of ring full of little metal things out of the drawer. He pointed to MacLeod again. "Wait here." He turned to look at me and his eyes could have scorched the earth. "You two. Let's go unlock your door."

It was torture to have to follow Adam out of his apartment, but what choice did I have? I was responsible for Bobbie and he was helping me get back into the apartment, and no one would ever know how really badly I had messed up. I followed.

It took maybe ten seconds for Adam to use his little lock picks (it had to lock picks, right, I mean, what else is on a ring like that? And does that make Adam really scary, because he could break into our apartments whenever he wants?) on the door to Bobbie's apartment and it opened like it had never been locked in the first place.

"There you go," he said, "it was nice to meet you." I don't think he meant that last part. After we were inside, he closed the door on us. Bobbie went flailing about the room with his sword again, scaring the cat near to death. It shredded a pillow in its frenzy to  
escape.

I kept my eye to the peephole. Adam and MacLeod spent about five minutes in Adam's apartment. When they came out, MacLeod was dressed in different clothes and carrying--my heart stopped beating, I swear this is true--a real sword. It wasn't some plastic thing the color of fake cherries and bananas. It was metal colored and sharp looking, and two seconds later he put it in his coat. Just like that, it was _gone_. Oh my god, is that even possible? I blinked since my eyes were drying out from all that staring through the  
peephole. But they'd passed by the door already and turned the corner to the elevator and I couldn't see them anymore.

I need to spend more time in the hallway. And get locked out way more often.  



End file.
